Grant Park serves as both the start and finish area of the Chicago Marathon.
The park lies beside Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago and provides the race with a highly recognizable setting. Runners traditionally begin on Columbus Drive near the park and return there after completing the course through the city’s neighborhoods.
The Chicago Marathon is one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. Its route is known for being exceptionally flat, which makes it attractive to elite runners seeking fast times and to recreational participants pursuing personal records.
Grant Park is sometimes confused with nearby Millennium Park, another prominent lakefront park. Millennium Park is north of Grant Park, but the marathon’s main race infrastructure and finish area are associated with Grant Park. The event is also commonly called the Bank of America Chicago Marathon because of its title sponsorship.